220 AROUND AN OLD HOMESTEAD. 



they were sweete-sportful-beastes, and are very pleasant play- 

 fellows in a house." 



William Gilpin, the hermit of New Forest, in his 

 "Picturesque Remarks on Forest Scenery," has written 

 of the squirrel, but his book was published before the 

 forests were much cut off in England. Gilpin was not 

 like Flagg, for, singularly, in his account of the animals 

 that inhabited the forest, he did not think the squirrel 

 of great picturesque importance among them ; yet is his 

 description of one well worth reading: 



"In the same class [hares and rabbits] we rank the squir- 

 rel. He is not of consequence to be numbered among the pic- 

 turesque ornaments of a scene : but his form, and manners ; 

 his activity, and feats of dexterity, are very amusing. On 

 extraordinary occasions, when he is agitated by love, or anger, 

 his muscles acquire tenfold elasticity. He descends a tree in 

 a rapid spiral, as quick as thought — darts up another in an 

 opposite direction — flings himself from tree to tree with amazing 

 exactness — and pursues his mate, or his rival, among the mazy 

 branches of an oak, with a velocity that eludes the sight." 



I myself have seen them quarrel, in these later days, 

 one driving another away from a nut-tree. 



Nor has the squirrel been overlooked by the poets 

 any more than by the naturalists. It is but to be ex- 

 pected that poets should like the squirrels, and I think 

 they do them better justice. To old Shakespeare let 

 us go ! For, if squirrels act not according to his word, 

 there is no health in them. And, sure enough, we find 

 that the squirrel had not escaped the notice of Shakes- 

 peare, but is associated, like an elf, with all forest 



